internet delights no. 102912

 

1. So... this exists. You're welcome.

2. Somehow these jumped into my cart at Old Navy. In two sizes. Weird.

3. Found these at Rock, Paper, Scissors in Charlottesville the other day and maybe squealed out loud and probably spent about ten minutes (with Sarah June in tow) deciding which happy design and color I should go with. It was time well spent. 

4. Would I wear this dress? I want so much to say yes, but I'm just not sure that I really would. Because, you know, it's a color and all.

5. Well, hey there, happy zig zag rug with your pop of yellow color on the edges, very nice to see you sitting there in the sale section.

6. More tiny gold shoes. I have a serious problem, you guys. 

ps: These are amazing (from Cup of Jo first) //

recent finds no. 052512

 

No. 1: So, I have sort of a "thing" with lavender flavored anything. It's good to my belly. Real good. In a tears come to my eyes when I surprisingly see lavender creme brulee on the menu at a restaurant sort of good to my belly kind of way. Which means these lavender honey drops sound sort of amazing to me. Like a spa in your mouth, no?

No. 2: I think these espadrilles are fantastic.

No. 3: And these wedges seem like the perfect summer shoe that's fancy without being too fancy and comfy.

No. 4: Have you guys ever felt these stuffed animals from heaven? They are maybe the very softest things next to the baby belly/bum combination that exists in this sweet world.

No. 5: Saw this paper cut awesome-ness by Sarah Louise Matthews on the Anthology Blog and might have choked on my carrots covered in veggie dip. Beautiful, yes? (The artwork, not the brain image of me and my carrots covered in dip. Sorry about that one.)

in other news...
-Not sure how I have missed this blog for so long! Rena Tom's blog is filled with so much general business goodness and know-how it's a must for anyone out there doing this creative, retail selling, marketing, business-ing thing. Interesting articles and awesome perspective. Plus, Rena's maybe one of the nicest people out there ever so it's fun to read through something she works on.

-Erin at Design for Mankind did a stellar job on her sunroom. Doesn't it just make you want to curl up and read a book and drink something delicious? I think it's perfection in a room.

-Have loved reading the articles on this great new-to-me mama site, mom.me. Quick and relevant articles and finally a parenting website that doesn't have so much going on that it leaves me confused and overwhelmed and wanting to curl up and hide in a corner somewhere.

recent finds: 032312

No. 1: Here's the thing...I'm not very good at sharing my snacks. Not very good at all. I'm great, however, at sharing other people's snacks. Especially those found on Cute Husband's plate. I think I should get the poor man one of these plates, don't you? He sort of requires a little bear ninja to protect his food. (Saw it on Oh Joy first!)

No. 2: I've been making a little list called "reasons I neeeeeeed an ipad" for a few months now. I just might have convinced myself that it is true, I do indeed "need" one. And, if I do wind up getting one, I think this case is just about the happiest and most awesome one out there, yes?

No. 3: Can't get enough of this stuff this week (slash ever?). I have a "thing" with cereal. It's normally not allowed in our house (ever...seriously), but at seven months pregnant I've decided that this mama here deserves a little cereal in her life.

No. 4: Oh hey, adorable little sweet baby girl's dress. So nice to see you!

No. 5: Have you gals ever used this stuff? It's filled with an awesome super power that makes your eyelashes big and full and long and happy for a long, long time. For serious.

No. 6: I pretty much rock a pair of gold sandals every single day in the summer. I don't know...they are easy, not too blingy, but don't just look like I have rubber flops on (which are called for and awesome, too). Wearing a white tee and jeans with gold flops makes a gal feel fancier or something. Anyway, my pair from last year have seen better days (no, seriously, every single day I wear them), so I'm in search for a new pair. Not sure this snakeskin version fills the "not too blingy" requirement, but they are close...ish. Maybe.

A good read about falling in love with your kids.
A sweet letter about love. (great find, Marcy!)
Spent some time on a quiet morning reading through the newest issue of Sweet Paul. So good. Just so good.

a popcorn confession

Flipping through my new Food Network magazine last night (the pretty pictures in this magazine do inspire a special trip to the grocery store for more than veggie burgers and apples every once in awhile, I promise) and I found these new treats called Halfpops. Friends, even those of you who know me very well, might not know I have a sort of thing with popcorn. Love it, live for it, can't have enough of it. Discovering kettle corn at the street festivals when we lived in Hoboken, NJ was one of those light shines down from heaven on me in the middle of the street and all activity stops type situation. It was monumental. My sister and I save parts of the popcorn called "softies"...in a mug...while we're eating our bowl of popcorn...and then we sort of "drink" the mug after. (Maybe this is why I keep my obsession with the popcorn under lock and key? I can't eat it like a normal person.) Anyway, in addition to my love of softies, I've recently discovered my love for the half popped pieces at the very bottom of the bowl! The crunch! The extra salt! The absolute deliciousness! So can you imagine my happiness when I opened my magazine last night and saw these treats?? Another monumental popcorn moment. How many does one life deserve, really?

ps: Yes, I do realize this is the most I've written about anything in a long time. The fact that it's a paragraph about popcorn does not escape me.

delicious snacks: now & zen

Y'all. Go to this place (now & zen sushi: 202 2nd Street nw / Charlottesville). It's goodness wrapped up in sushi form, which is maybe the best kind of goodness out there, yes?

Also, hi! Had a wonderful little beach break, thankyaverymuch.

delicious snacks: bang!

Friends! Cute Husband and I went to Bang! on Friday night for a little date night and, seriously I am not lying, you must get your tails on over there. It was delightful and not just because those martinis (The Joe for me...Ginger something or another for the Cute Husband) were maybe the best sips of anything I've ever had, but the food was perfection as well. And the wait staff! And the atmosphere! Plus they have specials on Wednesday nights, so you extra have to go. Extra.

apple pie is good

So, basically, this sweet little Etsy shop, All Jarred Up, is combining two of my favorite things - mason jars and pie. And so that just about makes my day. Which is awesome because it's only 8:00am. Win!

tea forte love

Y'all...seriously? Tea Forte is amazing. These teas? Delicious. These cookies? Melt in your mouth. And I can't wait to try the cocktail infusions soon. That's right, your favorite cocktail drink including tea. It's what dreams are made of, friends.

weekend no. 070310

Can we have three day weekends every weekend, please? Please? Seriously best, most filled-up, most happy weekend. That's what all fourth of July's should be about. Or all weekends, I guess. Or everyday. So, on Saturday morning we climbed Humpback Rock, as promised, and I learned something new about myself - I'm not so fond of heights. Specifically not so fond of huge rocks that seem to dangle in the air over large and beautiful valleys and mountains. Shocking, right? The hike was a blast...and then we got to the top. Upon arrival, I promptly sat down, faced the direction of solid ground, and waited patiently (sort of) until the crew was ready to take itself back to safety and life and goodness. As you can see by the photo above, my Cute Husband did not face the same fears on top of that rock. As you can see by the rest of the photos above, I decided to reward myself for the hike and the general fear I felt while on top of it with lots of delicious snacks over the weekend. There was wine, lots of Chaps ice cream cones (Heath Bar Crunch on a sugar cone, please), sushi, and I think I might have turned into a bag of guacamole tortilla chips. The tequila soaked watermelon I mentioned on Friday was an absolute hit at the fourth of July bbq. The sea salt made the dish, for sure, and I think I'd skip the sugar and put more tequila in next time, but that's sort of a life rule for me I guess. Cute Husband and I had an adventure in Lowe's yesterday (that explains that image of the stacked wood) with the Uhl duo (continuing our Uhl/Smith family weekend), but that project will get explained later. Let's just say I might have cursed the day I decided to build wooden booth walls a few times. Oof...me and my big trade show booth ideas.

pesto

I purchased my first basil plant last week and we have him sitting in a windowsill in our house. I'm not sure our dear "pesto" (as he has been named) will survive without fresh air and consistent sunlight, but I'm hoping that he does. Mostly because I heart basil and those little packages you can buy at the grocery store are just too expensive, but also because I think there might not be a better smell on earth than basil. (Or honeysuckle, but this post is about pesto...) I think each of these little portable pots would be an adorable outfit for pesto and maybe some of his future brothers and sisters in the herb family that will join him.

one | two | three |

my favorite ingredients

I purchased this book, My Favorite Ingredients, on sale at O'Suzannah last week in an attempt to get to know the food I eat a little better. I know, so hipster and trendy of me, right? But, really, it's something I'd kind of like to do this year. I'd love to know things like arugula is the spicy and yummy lettuce (and is perfect paired with the fresh salsa from Whole Foods and a sliced avocado) and not just things like the fact that brie tastes really good when it's melted. Or just that brie tastes good. So that's my goal and this book is my first step toward that goal. Also, the photographs are really pretty and, because of that fact, I had no choice but to walk out of the store with this book in hand.